Naturelle Volumax Sea Salt Texture Spray-- Once in a while, something I read about in the editor's picks sections of the beauty mags I read will jump out at me, and I'm fairly certain that's where I read about sea salt texturizing spray some time last year. I picked up this Naturelle brand at Sally Beauty Supply for around $10. The stuff is amazing. I'm very low maintenance when it comes to my hair anyway, and this product is as low maintenance as it gets. I air dry, and after I've combed through and while my hair is damp, I spritz this all over. As my hair dries, I get the coolest body and windblown texture-- perfectly undone for hot summer days and minimal brushing required. Because this spray contains salt, it's pretty drying, so refresh on the next wash with a nice, rich, deep conditioning mask(I like Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask-- I use it all year long).

L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Day/Night Cream-- Okay, maybe I do have an affinity for editor's picks. This was in the July issue of Glamour, touted as having a light, serum-like nature and absorbing flawlessly into your skin. This is true! It's nice to wake up without my face feeling slick or greasy (a sign your skin doesn't need as much moisture as you've piled on top of it). It's a little steep for a drugstore brand, ringing in at $25 for a 1.7 oz. jar. It doesn't take much to cover my whole face and neck, though, and if you supplement it and switch it out every few weeks (a good thing to do, anyway) it should last you well into fall. My skin is fairly oily, especially during summer, and this stuff is fabulous. My only complaint is that it's pretty heavily perfumed-- it's a pleasant scent, a little woodsy and floral, but I prefer an unscented cream. Performance is king, though, and I can totally deal with a little fragrance.

Chanel No5 Eau Premiere edt-- The original (current) formulation of Chanel No5 edp is one of my favorite scents, but for summer, I rotate it out and look to its lighter, brighter, more modern cousin, Eau Premiere. Eau Premiere's got the same heart as its predecessor, orange blossom, roses, jasmine, ylang ylang, amber, vetiver, and sandalwood, but it's done it a soft focus manner and with less aldehyde action right off the bat (those are what's responsible for sparkling quality at the very beginning of No5, and what some people might consider too sharp). Part of what I love about both iterations is the complete lack of edge; both are creamy, elegant perfection. Lots of art references are made in regards to the differences amongst the various No5 iterations-- think of Eau Premiere like this. If the original No5 is an oil painting, Eau Premiere is a watercolor. If you're one who's had a wary curiosity towards No5, try Eau Premiere. I suspect you'll fall in love.

Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime Breeze Fine Fragrance Mist--I didn't actually start caring about any fragrance not in a glass bottle until last summer, and that was sort of by accident. I went into Bath & Body Works, knowing their Coconut Lime Verbena scent was a nearly spot-on copy of luxury perfumer Creed's Virgin Island Water (better, even) so I went in looking for the edt. What I found was a reformulation called Coconut Lime Breeze, and no perfume. I decided to give the mist a whirl. Coconut Lime Breeze is not as complex as CLV; it's lacking the herbal depth the verbena note provided. This iteration is still lovely, though, straightforward, light as a feather, and well balanced. The coconut isn't over sweet, nor the lime too stringent. Simply, it's cool and fresh. The lack of essential oil in this mist means there isn't much of a scent projection and I can be liberal in my application. It delicately scents and feels fantastic on my post evening run, freshly showered skin. It wears close and doesn't last very long, but that's fine because application feels so lovely and refreshing.

So what are your summer hair/skin.scent essentials? Favorite B&BW scent at the moment? Is $25 too much to pay for a drugstore moisturizer?

I find it hard to wear perfume - they usually make me very sick and give my bad headaches. I fell in love with Allure by Chanel and couldn't stop wearing it! Then I discovered No 5 - it has now become my favourite perfume! I'm so glad these two don't make me ill! Eau Tendre made me very ill and I gave my 50ml bottle away to a good friend - she loves it!!

How wonderful that you've found a couple fumes that don't make you ill, and such pretty ones, at that! Glad you were able to find Eau Tendre a good home. My DH is sensitive, too, so I have to watch what I wear. No5 and EP are okay with him, too-- EP was one of my Christmas gifts from him a few years back, in fact :)

Gorgeous post sis! And very helpful indeed - I always love to learn on experiences "right from the bathroom" so to say ;-)! I find the hair product very interesting, I never heard of it before and I guess it is also unheard of in any shop here ;-P. I have yet to try Eau Premiere - Chanel No 5 is not wearing well on me so maybe this might be an inprovement? And I love those mists for summer days!! My routine? Hmmm I just started to use a conditioner by L'Oreal for colored and slightly dry hair - mine got a tad frizzy as of late. Skin: I am totally sold on Glam Glow Thirstymud Treatment which is actually a hydration mask but if applied thinly can be used as nghtcream - AMAZEBALLS, I swear!!!! Scent: 24/7 year in and out I am addicted to two scents only both by Profumum Roma: Vanitas and Aqua e Zucchero. Both "food" scents - one smelling of Vanilla, the other like cotton candy - addictions since - wait 7 years or so :-o - am such an old bore when it comes to scents it seems.....

Thanks, doll ♥♥ I used to belong to a big fume forum and many people who couldn't wear No5 were enamored with Eau Premiere. It's out of the norm for you-- give it a shot, though, I'm excited to know what you think! The hair thing should be relatively easy to find within any given product line-- basically just a sea salt texturizer. Do you have Garnier over there? I think they have a similar product. I remember seeing that mud mask on IG and wishing we had that over here-- I'll have to do some research on it. And I've gotten decidedly more streamlined in my fume choices over the past couple years. I basically have my three staple cool weather scents and three warm weather scents (including EP & No5, and Tabac Blond edt and extrait), and a small handful more for the transitional months, which is pared down quite a bit considering what I'd wear when I was in full on exploration mode. Old bore, nothing, it's grand to live in a beloved scent ♥♥

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